Hp probook 430 g3 error code 3.3

[uni007]

Hi, my laptop worked fine on saturday night. But now an hour ago i tried to start it and it would not boot. Power button light and wify mute button lught would just pulse and screen had that brief backlight flash. Same was happening on batt and power. I unoluged all but cmos batt. Held power button 30/40 secs. And plugged all back. And i would get caps lock light flash 3 slow, and 3 fast. Fan would slowly ramp up to full throttle. This happens both on batt and wall power. I ruled out ssd, hdd and both ram sticks. I need fast help with this as i wanted to use this laptop as nas brain for my das. The only noteworthy thing happening was win update before i shut it off. I tried power button with win logo + b and +v combo and nothing. 

[Pallipurath]

Hi @uni007 

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query.

The LED code sequence of 3 slow blinks followed by 3 fast blinks on the Caps Lock key corresponds to Error Code 3.3, which indicates a potential graphics chip failure. HP diagnostic codes use major blinks (slow) to indicate the primary error category and minor blinks (fast) to indicate the specific sub-category.

On the HP ProBook 430 G3, graphics processing is provided by Integrated UMA Graphics (Intel HD Graphics) built directly into the processor on the system board. Therefore, Code 3.3 points to a hardware failure during GPU/processor initialization on the system board.

 Diagnostic and recovery key sequences (such as Windows key + B or Windows key + V) require low-level communication with the Embedded Controller and system BIOS. If system board initialization is blocked at the hardware level, key recovery screens will not display.

Perform a Hard / Power Reset

• Turn off the laptop and disconnect the AC power adapter.
• Disconnect all nonessential external peripheral devices.
• Slide the battery release latches and remove the main external battery.
• Press and hold the power button for 15 to 20 seconds to drain residual electricity from system capacitors.
• Reconnect only the AC power adapter (leave external devices disconnected) and turn on the laptop.

Perform a Physical CMOS (RTC) Battery Drain

• Turn off the computer, unplug the AC adapter, and remove the main battery.
• Remove the service door screw cover and loosen the screw to remove the service door on the bottom of the laptop.
• Disconnect or remove the internal RTC (CMOS) coin-cell battery from the system board.
• Press and hold the power button for 60 seconds (or up to 120 seconds if BIOS time needs clearing) to drain all power and reset CMOS values.
• Reconnect the RTC battery, replace the service door, reconnect AC power, and turn on the laptop.

Hardware Diagnostic 

• Attempt to launch hardware diagnostics by turning on the laptop and immediately pressing Esc repeatedly, then pressing F2 to open HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI)

HP Notebook PCs - Computer beeps or a light blinks during startup

HP PCs - Computer does not turn on, start, or boot

Take care and have an amazing day!

[uni007]

Hi, i managed to get the device working.

Your mentioned steps didnt provide any insight on how this happened. I had to do this 10 times, and due how your company designed this device and how it unecesarely made it hard to access the cmos battery i damaged and broke a few tabs and probably damaged the 2.5 sata conwction for the hdd. I gave up on the cmos battery. So after 10 tries with the procedure for the reset i finaly managed to boot. I tested the ram sticks they both work BUT the ram slot closest to cpu is dead, if it is populated with a stick i get 3.3 error code.

NOW to the broken hdd connection, if i connect my hdd the device wont boot not post any codes, there is simply no life. So i have to thank your company for making the cmos battery require a motherboard out level of commitment while every other laptop that i use has the same coin cell cmos easily reachable like elitebook 8440p or lenovo legion 5. 

Now the device is working only in a single channel mode with the m.2 sata ssd. 

I dont care about servicing it as its old, and i can get it used for 70€ so repairing it and wasting 59-100€ is a fools errsnd. But this boggles my mind why does the dead ram slot point to an error with gpu. I hate a goose chase. 

Thanks for replying but i managed to get it working.

[Pallipurath]

Hi @uni007 

Thank you for responding.

I'm glad to hear that you were eventually able to get the device working, although I'm sorry that the troubleshooting process was so frustrating and resulted in physical damage to the internal components.

I understand your concern regarding the CMOS battery accessibility and the amount of disassembly required to reach it. I also acknowledge your findings regarding the non-functional RAM slot, the 3.3 error code, and the HDD connection issue.

A faulty memory slot or its associated circuitry can potentially interrupt the POST process and trigger an error code. However, without further hardware-level testing, it would not be appropriate to conclude that the GPU itself is defective.

Since the system is now operational with one RAM module and the M.2 SSD, I understand your decision not to invest further in repairs, particularly given the age and replacement cost of the device.

We appreciate you taking the time to document your experience and share your findings. Your feedback regarding the CMOS battery accessibility and the complexity of the disassembly process is valuable, and we regret the inconvenience you encountered.

Have a good day.